The Hoplite is an enemy that spawns in Marble Caves. It throws piercing Javelins at the player, which can deal a lot of damage, especially if in Expert Mode, where its projectiles deal double the damage than in normal mode. The Javelins thrown are also fairly accurate, and are more likely to hit the player than most other enemy-fired projectiles. This makes the Hoplite an enemy to avoid early on in the game, until players are properly equipped and ready to face them.
Tips
A possible strategy to combat Hoplites is to rush them before they can use their ranged attack. They deal much less contact damage and can easily be stun-locked, making the fight easier. However, one must take note that while they may not be able to attack while being damaged, they do have high knockback resistance, allowing them to close the gap quickly.
It should be avoided to attack Hoplites from directly above, as their Javelins' piercing abilities may cause them to strike the player twice – once on the way up, and once on the way down.
Trivia
Hoplites were Ancient Greek soldiers who typically carried spears and shields. This might be the reason why the Hoplite's internal name is GreekSkeleton.
Despite this, none of their drops is a shield or shield-related item.
The Bestiary entry for the Hoplite: "In the ruins of an ancient civilization now deeply buried, some of its spear-hurling soldiers still walk its marble-adorned paths."